Good Evening
by jodief1
Summary: Arizona and Callie recover from the events of 6x24, "Death and All His Friends," over the course of an evening. Usual caveat re: Shonda's World: I own nothing. Thanks to all reviewers!
1. Chapter 1

**Good Evening **by jodief1

**A/N: **Focusing on Calzona after 6x24 (season 6 finale); rated M for future chapters. Standard disclaimer re: Shondaland: I own nothing. Thanks in advance for your review(s)! I really appreciate them (don't we all?) and will respond to each and every one. :)

**Chapter 1:**

Callie and Arizona stood gripping each other on the sidewalk, oblivious to the commotion all around them, until Callie's cell phone rang, breaking the spell that bound them. She reached down to flip open the phone with one hand while she continued holding Arizona's arm with the other.

"Hello?" Her own voice sounded strangely frantic to her — but a split second later, her mind caught up with her intuition, and she realized that she still didn't know exactly who had been injured in the attack. Her blood ran cold with dread until she heard the familiar deep rumble of the voice on the line:

"Oi, Torres — Thank God you're safe! You hadn't called, and I was startin' to worry…"

Callie literally sighed with relief. "Mark! Where are you? You're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm over at Presbyterian with Teddy, who just finished operating on Karev. He's stable now, and will be fine in a couple weeks, but he was shot in the chest, and would've been a goner if Lexie and I hadn't found him bleeding out in an elevator. She's with him now, he's starting to come out of it."

While she listened, Callie inhaled sharply and looked at Arizona, who was watching her intently, brow furrowed with concern. Callie mouthed "Alex," and Arizona nodded gravely.

When Mark paused, his voice breaking a little, Callie said, "Well, at least he was in good hands! And you and Lexie, you weren't hurt?"

"Nah — we were in the lobby when that nut started firin', but I grabbed Lexie and headed for the elevator where we found Karev. She had another run-in with the nut later — I don't even wanna think about it, but she said he had it in for her and Derek and Webber because they pulled the plug on the guy's wife a couple months back. He was about to shoot when a sniper hit him and he went down, and Lexie got away." Mark swallowed audibly, and his voice went to a whisper. "I swear, if he'd hurt her, I woulda gone straight after him…"

Callie cut in. "Well, it's a good thing he didn't. That…that must've happened right before he came into Peds, where I was helping Arizona with a patient." Callie looked deep into Arizona's eyes, which were swimming with tears. She clutched Arizona's arm even tighter and cleared her throat. "He, uh, he told me his name — Gary Clark — and said he'd been shot, so I gave him some bandages and told him to take them and leave the room. Fortunately, he did. He was….he was pretty out of it. He even _thanked_ me, for Chrissakes." She shuddered inadvertently at the thought.

"Oh God, Torres." The pain in Mark's voice broke Callie's heart. "I can't believe you had to deal with that sonofabitch. You said Robbins was with you?"

"Yeah, she's right here with me now." Callie moved her free hand to cup Arizona's chin, wiping away the tears that were now beginning to streak down her pale cheeks. "She's fine, I'm fine, and we're…we're going to deal with this together. I'm never going to let her go again."

Arizona cracked a smile despite her tears, and Callie couldn't help seconding it.

"Glad to hear it," Mark replied, gruffly. "You two…you make a good pair."

"Listen, Mark…"

"You still at Grace, Torres? D'you know what happened to everybody else? I've been tryin' to call Derek and Meredith, but nobody's answering. I've been worried sick about Derek ever since Lexie said the shooter was lookin' for him. I even tried Bailey and Webber, y'know, but it's like nobody has their goddamn phones on. Can you ask around there and get back to me?"

"Sure thing. Have you seen Cristina or Owen?"

"Teddy said she was in the OR with Hunt when the lockdown happened, but they snuck out with their patient. But then Hunt turned around and went back into the hospital, 'cause he knew Yang was still in there. We haven't seen either of them over here at Presbyterian yet. D'you want me to…?"

"Nah, I'll call her, Mark. And I'll let you know what I find out. Don't worry, alright? If Derek were dead, somebody would have called us by now. He's probably just been busy dealing with….everything."

"Yeah…yeah. Sure." Mark didn't sound convinced. "I'll stay here as long as Lexie needs me, but eventually I'll head back over your way, depending on where Derek ended up. I'll see you later, okay? Keep in touch."

"You got it. Mark — I…You know…." Callie was momentarily at a loss for words. She felt herself half-grinning, foolishly, into the phone. "You're my best friend, you know that?"

"Ditto, Torres. We're gonna make it through this one, I promise. Now go find Shepherd for me."

Callie closed her phone and hugged Arizona tight. "I love you," she said simply. She felt Arizona nod into her hair. She pulled away and examined Arizona closely. "You okay?"

Arizona nodded slightly and wiped at her face. "I'm still worried about the kids finding their parents. I think I'll just run over there and make sure."

Callie chuckled. "You've got the best-trained squadron of nurses and interns I've ever seen — the kids and parents are probably long-gone by now. But go ahead — I just told Mark I would call Cristina and try to figure out what happened to Meredith and Derek." She flipped her phone open again and put it up to her ear. "I'll find you in a few minutes, okay? You have your phone, just in case?"

Arizona leaned in to give Callie another quick peck on the cheek. "Right. I do. And I love you."

"Oh believe me, I feel the same way," Callie smiled a little sadly, brushing Arizona's hair back from her forehead. "And I'll never get tired of hearing it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Good Evening** by jodief1

**A/N: **Thanks so much for views & reviews! McAwesomebecca: Here's an update, just as you ordered! Will try to update again over the weekend, but it will be a little tough while I'm travelling, so I ask your indulgence. funkyshaz 57: Sorry for the additional angst in this chapter — I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Calzona share the love after they deal with the heavier stuff. But I'm trying to keep it (relatively) real.

**Chapter 2**

Callie was relieved when Cristina answered the call right away and tersely explained what had happened with Derek. Reading between the lines, it wasn't hard for Callie to get a sense of what Cristina had been through, and she tried to persuade her roommate to hand off Derek's post-op care and take a break — but Cristina was stubborn as usual, saying she just wanted to stay around a little longer for Meredith's sake. Callie didn't ask what that meant; she just reiterated that she was glad to hear that all their close friends were safe and told Cristina she'd see her later back at the apartment.

Then Callie called Mark back. He was understandably distraught to hear that Derek had been shot, and the fact that Derek was now in recovery only partially alleviated Mark's concern. He said he would check in once more with Lexie and then head immediately back to Grace to see Derek, and Callie told him to come find her later at the apartment. She briefly considered going back inside to seek out Meredith and Cristina herself, but she knew in her heart of hearts that there was nothing she could do to help at this point, and the _last_ thing she wanted to do at that moment was to go back inside that godforsaken building.

Callie found herself wondering why they hadn't transferred Derek to Presbyterian like Alex, but then she realized that the other local hospitals were swamped too, and as long as the police were allowing some parts of Grace to keep operating, Derek would probably be more comfortable staying where he was. She bent her head and composed a little mental prayer for him — _what the hell_, she thought, _it can't hurt_ — and then she started walking over to the staging area for the Peds transfers.

A heartbeat later, Callie heard her incoming-text tone, and she paused to check her phone once more. It was a note from Webber to all the attendings, letting them know that he had been appointed interim Chief by the Board — _big surprise_, Callie smirked to herself — and asking them to check in with him to let him know their whereabouts and whether they were okay. He also noted that the shooter was no longer on the loose, having turned his gun on himself, and that the police wanted to interview anyone who had had contact with the shooter before they left the area; Callie felt a weight in the pit of her stomach at the thought of having to talk about that encounter again so soon, but she immediately registered that it was the right thing to do. Webber concluded by noting that the police were completing a tally of all the hospital's injured and dead and would be posting it shortly — but for the time being it was confirmed that, of the surgical staff, Drs. Adamson and Percy had been killed, and Drs. Shepherd, Karev, and Hunt had been injured but were expected to make full recoveries.

Just as Callie finished reading the message, she heard another tone indicating the arrival of _another_ text, also from the old-new Chief: this one turned out to contain a bunch of boilerplate about not talking to the press during this sensitive time, yada, yada, yada. Callie groaned inwardly — who on earth would even _want_ to talk about this on camera? — and she suddenly had a vivid vision of that half-bald, square-jawed guy from the Board standing over Webber, wagging his finger and dictating exactly what to type. An outrageous giggle came burbling up her throat, but she looked around at all the screaming ambulances and managed to suppress it.

Then, equally as suddenly, an image of the two dead doctors leapt, unbidden, to Callie's mind. She could see Reed staring impatiently and Percy frowning in concentration, and though she had never particularly enjoyed working with either of them, she found herself fighting back tears. _Not fair_, she thought, _it's just not fair. They were promising, young, smart people._ She reached up to run a shaky hand through her thick hair. _Oh God, THIS must be what a yo-yo feels like. Get a grip, Torres._

Half a minute later, Callie came around the far corner of the building and found Arizona conferring with what remained of the Peds staff. Callie's heart leapt to her throat and she had to contend with an insanely strong urge to throw herself at the small blonde woman. There were only two nurses left, along with Dr. Mostow — Arizona insisted on calling him that now that he was a resident, even though he'd always be Intern Steve to Callie — and sure enough, there were no lost kids that Callie could see. She walked up behind Arizona, who was still huddled over her BlackBerry, probably reading every last jot of Webber's second suck-up message. The temptation to hold Arizona was still so strong that Callie had to make an effort just to place a couple of tentative fingers on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Huh?" Arizona jumped even at the slightest touch, and Callie flushed, feeling terrible. "Oh, it's you. Hi." Arizona's tone changed completely as she turned to see Callie. The way she reached out, awkwardly, communicated that she was resisting the same strong physical pull. Instead, she just clutched at Callie's hand and held up her BlackBerry with the other. "Did you see…?"

"Yeah." Callie was surprised by the note of disgust in her own voice. "I didn't even read past the first line of that second text. I can't believe they're even thinking about PR at a time like this."

Arizona closed her eyes and swallowed, looking even paler than before. "I called her Tinkerbell the other day."

"What?"

Arizona inhaled deeply and squeezed Callie's hand. When her eyes opened again, they were bluer than Callie had ever seen them.

"Reed. Doctor….Doctor….Doctor Adamson. After she slept with Mark, I was talking about her with Teddy, and I called her 'cute.' I said she was cute, like a … like a surgical brunette Tinkerbell."

"Oh." Callie's eyes flicked away from Arizona long enough to see Intern Steve shifting his weight uncomfortably and the nurses giving each other looks. "God, it's terrible. This whole thing…."

Arizona then looked squarely at Callie, and her eyes had turned to steel. "This whole thing is one of the worst things I ever heard of in my life."

"Yes. Yes, it is. And you can't…you know that we all thought that about Ree—Dr. Adamson, from time to time." Callie looked around for support, from Intern Steve, or the nurses, or anybody. Fortunately, they had busied themselves with their charts, so Callie dropped her voice and spoke with urgency to Arizona alone. "Everybody thinks things about the people we work with, and we just can't…we can't. We can't. Do this. Now." She returned the pressure of Arizona's hand, willing her to save this conversation for later.

Arizona sagged almost imperceptibly, temporarily deflated, and relaxed her grip on Callie's hand. "I know." She immediately squared her shoulders and turned back to the nurses and Intern Steve, waving her BlackBerry. "So none of you even saw the shooter?"

They all looked up from their charts and shook their heads wearily. "Good," Arizona replied. "That means you don't need to file a report before you head out. There's nothing more to be done here, right? Right. So please just go home for the day, and I'm sure they'll be posting everyone on when the hospital is going to reopen. If you don't hear anything in 24 hours, text me. And thank you. Thank you so much for your help." She reached out to touch each person lightly on the arm. Intern Steve had started sniffling and was wiping his nose with his sleeve.

"Listen," Arizona said, mostly to Intern Steve, "if you want to talk to someone before heading out, I saw they set up a tent over there, with people to…"

Intern Steve shook his head. "It's just stress. I didn't even know them that well, really."

"Okay." Arizona stood with her hand on his arm for a long moment. _Amazing_, Callie thought, _it's amazing that Arizona could be so gentle with someone else when she's so close to the edge herself_. "I'll see you soon, Dr. Mostow. Steve."

"Thanks, Dr. Robbins. Good luck."

One of the nurses collected the charts and deposited them in the roller cart that would be taken back inside by the support staff when the staging area was cleared. Arizona turned back to Callie and took both her hands in her own. Once again, they gazed at one another for a few moments before speaking.

"Thanks for that," Arizona said, matter-of-factly. "Thanks for everything. I'm feeling a little…"

"Yo-yo-ish?" Callie supplied.

"Yeah." Arizona shrugged and looked chagrined. "Exactly. Or — more roller-derbyish, maybe."

"Come here." Callie couldn't resist any longer — the distance between them had started to _hurt_. "I feel like a roller-derby yo-yo too."

They wrapped their arms around each other, just standing perfectly still for what felt like several minutes, feeling one another's heartbeats and shutting out the rest of the world. Arizona smelled like soap, and Betadyne, and just a hint of the Chanel #5 that Callie had given her for her birthday. Callie hated to think what _she_ smelled like, but she pushed away that thought as she filled up her senses, fortifying herself for meeting with the police before they could get out of there and head home.

Home. ….Home. _This _was home. For the first time since she was twelve and living in her father's house, Callie realized: She had a home, right here. Wherever they ended up, whatever they chose to do, Arizona was her home. She blinked back tears of relief for the second time that afternoon and pressed her lips to Arizona's shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

**Good Evening **by jodief1

**A/N: **Thanks so, so much to all reviewers! I do sincerely apologize for the delay in getting this installment up, and hope that I'll be able to update sooner this time. (Within the next week, in any event - but if I can do it earlier, I will!) Hope you all are surviving the summer hiatus before S7 starts. Now for some responses:

punkyhunk, Darkshines1984, thinkingintheshower: Thanks, and I hope you like where this one is heading too! funkyshaz57: This is not Calzona fluff, exactly, but we're definitely getting to the good stuff now. :)

PinkJover: My ears haven't yet regained their normal color, and I really appreciate your taking the time to say you're enjoying it so far. I will do my best to keep the quality/realism intact.

ormerod: I love, love the detailed feedback and would be glad to hear it if you think I could be doing anything better. But if your intent was partly to make me keep going, you've done the trick!

**Chapter 3:**

After a long while, Callie remembered that she hadn't yet filled Arizona in on what she had learned about their other friends, so she pulled away from their embrace just enough to quietly describe her conversations with Cristina and Mark. Arizona stayed silent for a few moments, digesting what Callie had said; when she replied, her voice was very soft.

"Well, I'm glad that you reached Mark before he got the Ch—I mean Webber's—message. Sounds like he would've gone ballistic if he found out about Derek that way. Who is…well, I'm really glad he'll be okay. It'll be a long road for him, though. I can't even imagine how Meredith..."

But Arizona was interrupted when Callie stepped back, smacked herself on the forehead, and groaned. "Oh, God, I totally forgot about Webber's message. He asked us to respond, remember? Have you done it yet?"

"Nope." Arizona retrieved her BlackBerry and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was just reading the messages when you came over. But don't worry!" She held out the BlackBerry with her index finger extended behind it in the universal sign for _Hold it right there_. "I'm the fastest texter west of the Mississippi, so I'll just fire him a quick note and be done with it."

"Hey there, uh, _cowgirl_, not so fast." Callie pulled out her own phone and pointed to it. "_I'm_ the fastest texter around these here parts. Just ask anybody in this hospital, they'll tell you. How come I never hear anybody making _you_ out to be Speedy Gonzales, hmmm?"

Arizona's eyes flashed. "Seriously, you do _not_ want to mess with my mad texting skills right about now."

"All right, all right!" Callie threw up her hands in mock exasperation. "Then we'll each do our own texts, 'kay?" She flashed her devilishly sarcastic smile and positioned her thumbs over her phone's keyboard. "Ready, set, GO!"

Both Callie and Arizona typed furiously for a few seconds. Then they simultaneously yelled "Done!" and held up their devices in identical gestures of triumph. For a moment the two women just stared at one another, wearing the same incredulous expression, until Arizona frowned and broke the silence:

"Yeah, okay, but in addition to saying that I, Doctor Robbins, am fine, I also noted that we had a brief run-in with the shooter that we'll be reporting to the police." She struck her best I-dare-you pose with her chin out and both hands on her hips.

Callie snorted. "Oooo-kay. But in addition to saying that I, Doctor Torres, am fine, I also gave Webber fair warning that we are back together again and that both of us intend to take our 15 banked vacation days effective tomorrow."

Arizona's eyes got wide. "Really? All that in five seconds flat?" She gave a low whistle. "Calliope Torres, I think maybe you _do_ deserve the Western Text-Champion title — for today, anyway. But what's this about offering to use our days before we even know when the hospital is re-opening?"

Callie took Arizona's hand and started tugging her toward the main police tent. "I don't want to have to argue with anybody about when we need to show up again. If they decide to give us a couple extra days, hey — that'll be even better. And you —" Callie nudged Arizona playfully with her arm — "you've definitely got the mad texting skills yourself. I declare a tie, and I'll be glad to share the honors with you. For today, anyway." She treated Arizona to her sauciest wink. "Now let's go tell the men and women in blue whatever they need to know."

Arizona reached across to grasp Callie's forearm with her other hand as they walked, and Callie hazarded a quick glance to see that Arizona was, in fact, cracking a little smile. She knew that the yo-yo just happened to be hitting the top of its arc at the moment and would have to drop again at some point, but she took heart in the thought that she could look forward to at least _some_ of the lighthearted banter that she had missed so sorely, even as they worked to process what had happened. Not everything, even in the face of Death and all his friends, had to be dark and dramatic. For the survivors who had their whole lives to look forward to, anyway.

* * *

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the police interview shattered Callie's lighthearted mood and sent the yo-yo spiraling back down to earth. It was tough, but at least the officer allowed Callie and Arizona to stay together; they held hands so tightly as they described the day—and especially that brief but terrifying moment when time had stopped in the presence of Gary Clark—that the officer clearly understood that this pair would not be separated. When she came to the toughest part, Callie closed her eyes and steeled herself in order to get through her version of events without choking up. But Arizona was a different story: she hesitated for a long while before answering the question about what she had been doing while Callie confronted the shooter, and when she finally spoke, her voice quavered terribly. Callie gripped Arizona's hand in both of hers to lend support, but she still felt nauseated by her partner's anguish. _At least we didn't lose it completely_, Callie thought when the officer wrapped up the interview by taking down their contact information. _But then again, I can't tell if the reality of this situation has even hit me yet. Maybe Arizona's actually ahead of me in really _feeling_ it — I guess I'll just have to give it some time._

Afterward, neither woman spoke during their short walk back to Callie's place. The thought struck Callie that Arizona wouldn't have any of her own things to change into, but then she remembered the early days in their relationship, when Arizona would sometimes have to borrow one of Callie's tighter-fitting t-shirts and a pair of drawstring sweatpants after an impromptu sleepover. The memory made Callie smile to herself, and she gave Arizona's hand an extra little squeeze; Arizona returned the pressure, though she remained silent, her lips set in a tight line.

Even though Callie was feeling a little better by the time they reached her apartment door, she had started to worry about Arizona, who was acting much more withdrawn then she had been before. But when Callie fished out her key and fumbled to put it in the lock, she felt warm arms embrace her from behind, and Arizona's breath tickled her right ear.

"I need you, Calliope."

Callie half-turned in surprise, and Arizona's lips met hers. Callie's heart and stomach started doing somersaults, and even though her lungs suddenly felt too constricted to take in air, she deepened the kiss and felt the familiar heat that had been missing from her life for too long. Arizona responded with even greater passion, suggesting that she hadn't been withdrawing from Callie so much as fighting her own desire — and now she was finally able to express it.

With difficulty, Callie broke off the kiss and leaned her head against Arizona's, breathing heavily. She swallowed and, without looking around, turned the key in the lock with one hand behind her back and pushed the apartment door open with the other. She walked backward through the door, pulling Arizona with her, and then slammed the door shut behind Arizona's back once they were through. Callie swiftly kissed Arizona again and firmly but gently pushed her back against the door, pressing their bodies together as she had ached to do ever since that unexpected and poignant moment in the elevator.

When Arizona started trailing kisses down Callie's neck and collarbone, Callie's mind went blank, and a few moments elapsed before she became conscious that Arizona was propelling them both toward Callie's bedroom door. She had just enough time to leave her keyring, cellphone, and ID badge on the side table before they reached the door, which Arizona opened behind Callie's back. An instant later, they were in the dark, cool room, and Arizona pulled back from Callie just long enough to close and lock the door behind her.

Arizona's eyes looked almost liquid in the dim light: they had become incredibly inviting, sapphire-blue pools. She pulled off her scrub shirt in one fluid motion and then grasped Callie behind the neck. "I need you, Calliope. Now."

As she backed up to the bed, Callie realized that her cheeks were damp. "I need you too, Arizona. Come here."

[to be continued! :)]


	4. Chapter 4

**Good Evening** by jodief1

**A/N:** _This chapter _is the reason why this fic is rated M, so consider yourselves warned! This is my first time writing smut in any fandom, so please let me know if I could be doing anything better (and please, please be kind...). Thanks again for reviews, esp. from the fabulous funkyshaz57! Hope this gives ya what you're looking for.

**Chapter 4:**

Arizona stepped forward and kissed Callie again, more tenderly and deliberately this time. Even without words, her movements spoke eloquently of her love and desire. Callie just ignored the dampness on her cheeks, and if Arizona felt it when her hands moved to caress Callie's face, she didn't make any sign.

As they kissed, the two women finished undressing one another, and when Arizona pulled back to catch her breath, Callie lightly traced the arc from the top to the side of her breast with a finger. "I missed you," she breathed, and when she looked up, she saw that Arizona's pupils seemed slightly larger and darker, and her heartbeat had quickened.

Callie moved back onto the bed, gently pulling Arizona with her. The smaller woman swiftly covered Callie's body with her own and pressed her thigh between Callie's legs; when Callie returned the pressure, Arizona's breath caught as she tossed her blonde hair back in that uniquely sexy way. Callie tried to swallow the knot in her throat but found that her mouth was suddenly dry, and then she realized that her heart was pumping _hard_. Since it had been so long, she briefly worried about losing control too quickly, but then she smiled to herself: she trusted Arizona to take her time, and for now she could just settle back and enjoy the ride.

For long moments, the two women moved together, and Callie felt awash in sensations: the musky smell of skin on skin; the slightly fruity taste of Arizona's lips; the cool heat of the light sheen on their active bodies; and finally, the sweet, tight feeling boiling up in her core. Only once, for a split second, did she feel a pang of regret for the time they had spent apart, but as soon as it passed, Callie knew with utter certainty that nothing could have happened differently — that their separation had been essential to their long-term happiness — and then an unusually pure joy coursed through her.

She reached up to pull Arizona's face down to her own. Arizona shifted so that they could kiss, closing her hand around Callie's hipbone in the most intimate of gestures. For her part, Callie tried to imbue the kiss with everything she was feeling, and she experienced an almost electric shock when their tongues found each other.

So much understanding and meaning passed between them that Callie felt a deep sense of connection, deeper perhaps than any she had yet experienced with Arizona; and so she was initially disoriented and a little peeved when Arizona broke off the kiss and moved her soft, full lips to nip first at one of Callie's nipples, then at the other. Soon, however, Callie's need for release won out over her desire for closeness, and she was surprised to hear herself moan as Arizona slowly moved down her body, exploring with her tongue, lips, and fingers.

At long last, after nipping at the insides of Callie's thighs until the dark-haired woman thought she would scream with anticipation, Arizona took Callie's clit deeply into her mouth once, released it, and then closed her lips around it and settled into a rhythm of alternating tensing and loosening, occasionally adding an extra swirl of the tongue that she knew would make Callie squirm. Just when Callie thought she would go out of her mind with the agonizing pleasure of it all, Arizona brought up one hand so that Callie could feel her knuckles twisting and fingers turning against her slick opening. Within a few seconds, Callie was over the top, writhing and crying out in her native tongue as she spasmed inside and out.

"Oh, _Madre de Dios_, Arizona," she panted, trying to catch her breath as Arizona made her way back up to lie against Callie, grinning. "Oh my God, what you do to me, I could never…. How do you _do_ that?"

"Shush, you," Arizona laughed as she leaned down to kiss Callie langorously. "You are _amazing_. I _love_ to watch you come. You're the most responsive woman I've…"

"Yeah, yeah," Callie countered, reaching out with both arms to encircle Arizona in a tight embrace. "No comparisons. It's just you and me tonight." She kissed her deeply, savoring the hint of her own taste on Arizona's tongue — and then just the thought of it relit the fire in her veins, and Callie flipped her lover over, pinning her down as expertly as a wrestler.

"Now it's _my_ turn," she growled.

* * *

Callie wasn't even aware that she'd fallen asleep until she heard a distant door slam and a deep voice bellowing out in the living room:

"Torres? Torres? You in here?"

Callie automatically glanced over at Arizona, who still seemed to be sound asleep, albeit seriously disheveled after their earlier activities. Callie cursed under her breath and tried to disentangle herself from the sheets, unable to call out to Mark without waking Arizona.

"Hey, Torres, I found your cell phone! So I know you gotta be in here!"

As soon as she managed to extricate herself from the bed, Callie ran over to the door without taking anything to cover herself up, wanting to stop Mark before he pounded on it. She unlocked the door, opened it just a couple of inches and put her face right up against the gap.

"Mark! I'm here!" Callie hissed as loudly as she dared.

She must have stopped Mark just in the nick of time, because his face immediately appeared opposite hers. "Torres! There you are. Why are you spittin' at me through that tiny little crack?"

Callie downgraded the hiss to a whisper. "'Cause Arizona's asleep, dummy, and I'm nekkid."

"Aaahhh." Callie could have kicked Mark for being smug at a time like this. "But I've _seen_ you nekkid, Torres, remember? No big deal."

"Yeah, well, it's kind of a big deal for me these days, and probably for my girlfriend too. Just give me a couple of seconds to throw something on, but for God's sake, keep it down!"

"All right, all right. You women, always wanting things your way. Go on: I'll just hang out 'till you're decent."

Callie closed the door and went over to grab a robe out of her closet. Arizona was still asleep — in fact, she was lightly snoring in the way that Callie loved even though Arizona said that other people had found it annoying. _Thank God that woman could sleep through World War 3_, Callie thought, as she took a moment to glance at her sleeping lover and enjoy the thrilling tingle she always felt at the sight of her. Then she quietly opened the door and stepped out into the bright living room.

(to be continued...)


	5. Chapter 5

**Good Evening** by jodief1

**A/N: **Thanks again for views and reviews; I *really appreciate* it when readers like funkyshaz57 comment on every single chapter! No other thoughts about the smut, people? I will love you forever if you leave me some feedback. Truly. Even if it's not particularly positive feedback. :)

I'm moving house this coming week and am all shades of crazy right now, but this fic has been a fun release, and I promise to try to update sometime in the next week. If you're good (and give me some encouragement), I might try my hand at writing some more sexy time... ;)

**Chapter 5**:

Mark had turned on several lights as he had stomped through Callie's living room, and she was momentarily blinded as she slipped out of the bedroom.

"Jeez, Mark," she said, holding up a hand to block out the light and blinking rapidly, "you're about as subtle as a water buffalo. If you're ever tempted to try burglary, _pleeease_ don't give up your day job."

"Yeah, well, you're one to talk, Torres. What's with all the snotrags?" Mark jerked a thumb at the breakfast bar counter where Callie had piled up a mound of tissues while crying into her cornflakes earlier that morning. At first, Callie had a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that only about twelve hours had passed since her cryfest with Cristina, since her whole world had changed in that time. Then she felt herself blush: she and Arizona had been too focused on … well, on _other_ _things_ to notice the clutter when they had entered the apartment earlier.

"I had a tough morning, okay?" Callie marched huffily over to the breakfast bar and started clearing it off. Secretly, though, she was glad that Mark had pointed out the evidence of her totally pathetic moping before Arizona had a chance to see it.

Mark sat down on the armchair opposite the couch, hands outstretched in semi-apology. "Hey, listen, I just got back from the hospital, and you said I should stop by. Your door was unlocked."

"No, yeah, you're right, Mark. I did say that. And I'm glad to see you." Callie rubbed her aching eyes and turned around to give Mark a little smile, so he'd know she wasn't really mad at him.

Mark settled back in the chair, suddenly looking really tired and about ten years older. "I'm just not ready to be alone in my empty apartment yet, y'know? I need to be around other people for a little while."

Callie washed her hands in the kitchen, grabbed some tortilla chips and salsa, and headed back toward Mark. "It's okay — I know exactly what you mean. Though I really just want to be with _certain_ people for now." She set the chips and salsa down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. "You and Arizona are currently pretty much at the top of my list. In fact, you two basically _are _my list."

Mark grinned. "Thanks, Torres, that's great." When he started wolfing down chips, though, Callie began to wonder whether he was referring to her comment or the food. "Anyway," he continued between mouthfuls, "I found out a lot more about what happened today with Derek. Do you know what Yang actually _did_? She's…she's…some kind of surgical _goddess_, or something." Mark shook his head, like he couldn't believe what he was saying. "Or, some kind of badass Marine, even, like GI Jane. Maybe that Hunt is really rubbing off on her, y'know, training her in battlefield trauma in his spare time, or … hey! Maybe she's gonna join up, like O'Malley!"

Callie leaned forward, frowning. "What the hell are you on about, Mark? I got the sense that Cristina had a really tough time today, but…"

"God, no, Torres, tough ain't the half of it. That sonofabitch shooter actually came down to surgery and held a gun to her head, and told her to stop working on Derek or else he'd shoot her."

"_What?_"

"Yeah, I know. Whoa! But she said no. And then Hunt came back for her and tried to talk the guy down, and Meredith tried to get him to shoot her instead…"

"Wait…WHAT?"

"But when the shooter got confused for a sec, Hunt tried to tackle him and got shot himself, just in the shoulder, so he's doing fine now. That nut went back to threatening Yang, so then finally Avery, that Mercy Wester that I barely even know, did some quick thinking and pulled Derek's leads so that it looked like he flatlined. Even Meredith was fooled, and the nut left the room, and Yang was able to finish up the surgery."

Callie sat back, completely stunned. "Oh…my…God. Wow! No wonder Cristina didn't want to tell me all about it on the phone. I haven't heard her come back yet — how the hell is she doing?"

Mark dusted the chip debris off his hands and shirt. "I didn't really see much of her over at the hospital — just saw Derek briefly, 'cause he's still really out of it and needs to rest — so then I went and got some things for Meredith, who's going to be spending the night in the ICU."

"That's good. How is she?"

"Well, she's okay, I guess, given the circumstances." Mark leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I don't think she'd mind if I tell you this — Meredith told me 'cause she assumes that half the hospital already knows and it'll get back to me eventually. And she didn't want me to tell Derek until he's well enough to handle the news directly from her. Anyway, turns out Meredith had her own little emergency during this whole thing — this morning she found out she was pregnant, and she was gonna tell Derek tonight after work, but after the incident with the shooter and thinkin' she had lost Derek, she had a miscarriage while she was dealing with Hunt's GSW. But she kept on workin', and it was a while before she could change out of her scrubs. And she's still there, stayin' the night in Derek's room. Talk about hard core, right?"

Callie shook her head and scrubbed at it with both her hands. "Unbelievable," she said when she finally looked up again. "Nobody deserved _anything_ that happened today, but what happened to Meredith and Derek really, really, really sucks. _Hard._ I didn't even realize that they were trying for kids yet."

Mark sat back and shrugged. "I didn't either. I dunno — maybe it wasn't planned. But she acted like … you know, like it was a _good_ thing to be pregnant, and I felt like such an ass when she told me she miscarried, 'cause I had absolutely no idea what to say. I wonder if Derek will wanna talk about it after he hears. Obviously she doesn't _want _other people talkin' about it, but she knows better than anyone what Grace can be like. Maybe you can help me shut people down if they're —"

The doorbell suddenly rang, and Callie jumped in her seat. "What the hell…?" She glanced back at the bedroom door, hoping that it hadn't disturbed Arizona, and by the time she looked back at Mark, he was getting up and walking swiftly over to the door.

He looked over his shoulder as he pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his black jeans. "While you were gettin' decent, I took the liberty of ordering a pizza." He held up his cell phone. "I got my one-click preferences all set up!"

Mark opened the door, pulled out a couple of bills, took a box from someone Callie couldn't even see, closed the door, and started walking back toward the couch, all within a matter of seconds. He was clearly a pro at the pizza-delivery exchange.

Callie gave a low whistle. "Nicely done. Zeeks or Pag?"

"Zeeks, of course!" Mark looked offended. "Best in Belltown. For delivery, anyway."

"Ooo-kay. I didn't know you were such a connoisseur! Next time it's pizza night, I'm checking with you first."

Mark chuckled and started to make a rejoinder, but then his eyes focused on something behind Callie's shoulder, and Callie turned to see her bedroom door opening. Arizona emerged, blinking and yawning, looking comically small in another of Callie's large, plush robes.

Callie blushed and stammered, "Hey..., hey! I'm so sorry we woke you — I was trying to keep quiet so you could sleep."

Arizona frowned. "No — it's all right. But what was that? The doorbell? Was it Cristina?"

"No, thank God." Mark coughed exaggeratedly. "If she comes back while I'm here, I might have to give her a hug."

Arizona cocked her head and gave Mark a puzzled look as she came around the couch to sit next to Callie.

"I'll explain later," Callie said apologetically to Arizona. "But no, it was this pizza that Mark ordered. Isn't he…"

"Awesome!" Arizona's whole face suddenly lit up when she saw the box on the coffee table. "I'll grab some paper plates. I just realized I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" She sprang back up — not unlike a yo-yo, Callie thought — and headed for the kitchen.

"Can't imagine why," Mark mumbled, _sotto voce_. Callie smirked and flipped him the bird.

(to be continued...)


	6. Chapter 6

**Good Evening** by jodief1

**A/N:** First: Apologies. I've had an absolutely _mad _summer/fall and am sorry to have kept y'all in the lurch. I promise to wrap this up soon, in another couple of chapters. Second: I'm sure all Calzona fans share my feelings right now (post 7x08). I can't believe I'm wanting to go back to the good ol' days when our fave couple _just _had to contend with near-fatal encounters with homicidal widowers and reconnecting after a _loving, tender_ breakup. Can't wait to see what the writers dish out later this season. Thanks in advance for your reviews - and other writers: please, please, please help me drown my sorrows in smut!fic.

**Chapter 6:**

Callie felt like she was in the Twilight Zone.

All around her, all she could hear was the sound of furious chewing. And she was in a well-lit room with Mark and Arizona. Which should mean that there should be some kind of banter and/or teasing and/or gossip and/or light flirtation going on. Instead, she thought, if she strained just a little she might also be able to hear the traffic on the freeway. Twelve blocks away.

And then she remembered.

She swallowed a thick string of cheese and cleared her throat. It was time to say something, anything, that focused on the positive. "So, uh, Mark — you said Lexie was okay?" She cast him a look that she hoped was meaningful, but he was masticating too actively to notice.

He gulped down the rest of his slice and swiped his hands on his jeans. "Yeah. Well, physically. I don't know so much about the, uh," — he held a forefinger up to his temple —"uh, the mental side of things. When Teddy kicked her out of the ambulance…"

"Whoa! Back up!" Callie smacked her head. "She what?"

Mark actually looked chagrined — and Callie couldn't remember the last time she might have used that word to describe him. "Yeah." He looked down at his hands. "Lexie was freakin' out a little, but just tryin' to help, you know, tryin' to process what was happening with Karev. And finally Teddy called a stop and told Lexie she needed to get out. I'm sorry to say I was a little slow on the uptake, but after we started up again, I told Teddy that I thought Karev was stable enough that I needed to go look after Lexie. So I did. She just needed a..."

Mark looked away for a moment, and Callie thought she saw tears glistening in his eyes.

"...She just needed a shoulder to cry on. For a while. On the street curb, of all places. Then we caught a cab to Presbyterian, and she went in to see Karev, and she hasn't left him since, far as I know."

He shrugged and looked up, working his mouth before continuing. "You know what the worst part was? He thought she was Stevens. When he was bleeding out, before we started the transfusion, he said he was glad she'd come back for him. Lexie just pretended that she _was _Stevens. But I... I gotta say,... I dunno how they're gonna make it work, if he's still got a thing for Stevens and she... She ... You know, whatever. I'll ... _we'll _just have to see." Mark stretched and yawned, playing off his emotion as fatigue, before reaching for another slice of pizza. Callie couldn't think of anything to say or do — she felt paralyzed, even with _Mark_, for God's sake.

For her part, Arizona stopped chewing long enough to blink at Mark and say, "You know, that's the most words I think I've ever heard you put together in a row. I'm impressed."

Callie almost choked on her last bite as Mark coughed exaggeratedly into his fist. God, she had missed that woman.

The moment ended, however, when the front door abruptly swung open. Cristina looked up from her keys like a deer in the headlights, momentarily frozen in the bright glare of the living room. She clearly had not expected anyone to be awake. Owen loomed behind her, his arm in a sling, moving stiffly but otherwise looking okay.

In a single motion, Mark Callie, and Arizona all sprang up from their seats and talked over one another:  
"Hey! How're you feelin'?"  
"Owen! Are you okay?"  
"Oh my God! We heard what happened!"

Owen waved tiredly at them and smiled slightly as if to say that he was as well as could be expected. Cristina grabbed his elbow, acknowledged the others with a nod, and started to head for her bedroom, but she was stopped when Mark strode over to her.

"Hey, Yang." Mark had one arm extended, in a helpful, or maybe half-apologetic, gesture. "I didn't get a chance earlier in the hospital to say thanks. Thanks for saving Derek. You..." Mark swallowed, and his voice got even gruffer. "You did an amazing thing in there, and I know what you had to deal with. So thanks. And I got your back, from now on — if there's anything you need, _anything _I can do for you, you just lemme know, alright?"

Cristina nodded again, looking more than a little flustered and dazed. No wonder, Callie thought: she must be absolutely, completely, on-beyond exhausted after the day _she'd_ had. Mark lunged forward to shake Cristina's hand, pumping her arm vigorously — and then he dropped it just as suddenly and walked right out the front door, shaking his head, clearly embarrassed by his totally un-Mark-like display of emotion.

Cristina slowly turned to Owen and muttered, "Did that really just happen? Or am I dreaming?" Owen responded by gripping her shoulders and guiding her toward the bedroom, but she stopped him long enough to peek around at Callie and Arizona. "Good to see you. Both. We'll ... see you in the morning, I guess." Callie replied with an awkward little smile and an offer of some pizza, but both Cristina and Owen shook their heads to decline, and Owen continued steering Cristina away. Just before the bedroom door shut behind them, though, Callie could have sworn she heard Owen's deep voice saying "No, I'm pretty sure that actually _did_ just happen…."

Callie propped her head on one hand and looked at Arizona. "Well, I guess it's just you and me now."

Arizona raised an eyebrow and wagged her finger. "Oh, no no no no. It's you and me _and _The Pizza. You can't forget The Pizza. Don't _ever_ forget The Pizza."

Callie laughed out loud for the first time in ... well, several days, at least. "All right, then, let's take The Pizza in with us in case we get hungry later. We won't even have to emerge again until early afternoon at least, if we have sustenance..."

Arizona grabbed the box possessively and then turned toward Callie with an impish gleam in her eye. Callie couldn't stand it anymore: she leaned forward to catch Arizona in a kiss. What started as playful and impetuous, though, quickly turned more heated as Arizona's taste and smell penetrated Callie's senses.

After a few delicious seconds, Callie could feel the corner's of Arizona's lips tug into a smile as she murmured "Calliope..." Callie forced herself to pull back, biting her lower lip and pressing her forehead against Arizona's. She agreed, after all, that this was no time to put on a peep show for Cristina and Owen. "C'mon," she said huskily, and she pulled Arizona up off the couch by her forearms, which were supporting The Pizza. They stumbled back toward Callie's bedroom door, tossing the box onto the floor near the bed once they got inside, and falling together onto the already-tussled sheets.

Callie rolled over Arizona and pinned down her arms. Slowly and deliberately, she worked her way down her lover's body until she reached the belt of her robe, which she undid with her teeth. Arizona was already writhing, but when Callie flipped open one side of her robe to reveal a pointed nipple and gooseflesh, Arizona shuddered deeply, and Callie suddenly felt her own juices flowing. "Lake Washington," Arizona had sometimes called her, in their most private moments. Well, it sure as hell seemed like a _great _time for a swim.


	7. Chapter 7

**Good Evening** by jodief1

**A/N/Rant**: Here's the last installment of this fic. Apologies for having strung it out so long, but I wasn't exactly feeling inspired by the events of season 7. I also won't be continuing it — I had hoped to do a sequel in which Arizona and Callie spend some time recuperating on San Juan Island, a lovely place northwest of Seattle — but I don't see much point, since I wouldn't be able to show much character development and still stay in sync with the "canon" events of season 7. (Apparently, we're supposed to believe that the powerfully emotive couple of 6x24 merely ensconced themselves in a pretty pink bubble, drunkenly screwing and not making any kind of consequential promises to one another or discussing the future in any way.) I certainly hope that the rest of season 7 offers better opportunities for substantive fanfic; maybe Calzona can go to San Juan Island for their honeymoon instead. ;-)

**Chapter 7:**

In the very early, misty, and gray Seattle morning, Callie was awakened by a thin sliver of light falling directly across her eyes; neither she or Arizona had remembered to pull the shades completely shut the night before. Instinctively she glanced over at Arizona, who was uncharacteristically cocooned in the covers, instead of sleeping with her arms loosely splayed over her head as usual. Callie's first thought was that she was protecting herself — but she seemed to have slept through the night, at least, and Callie couldn't remember having had any nightmares either.

Callie sighed and squirmed a little: she really needed to pee, but she didn't want to wake Arizona. She became aware that their legs were still intertwined, and suddenly a powerful memory of their night of lovemaking surged through her. She mustered all her willpower to resist the urge to wake Arizona for more, to lose herself in those blue eyes again and feel the safety of her embrace — but to avoid that temptation, she slipped out of bed as gently as possible and headed for the bathroom.

When she returned, she was surprised to see that Arizona was awake, her head propped up on one arm as she gazed at Callie's naked form coming out of the bathroom. It was impossible to read Arizona's expression: Callie didn't plan to bring it up again, but she had meant what she said the previous day, when she'd said that she didn't really know who Arizona was. All she cared about now, however, was that they could keep getting to know one another. They just needed time, and communication. Maybe love is stronger when you _don't_ know your partner — not completely, anyway. She definitely couldn't complain that Arizona was _predictable_. Callie shook her head involuntarily and smiled at the thought.

Arizona grinned shyly as well as Callie slipped back under the sheets next to her. "What?" she demanded, wrapping one lithe hand around Callie's neck and searching her eyes.

Callie gulped. All she really wanted to do, in this moment, was to ravish Arizona yet again, but she knew that it was time for them to clear the air, to actually _talk_ about their feelings before the window closed once again. Fleetingly, she wondered: is it possible to be _too_ in love with someone, _too_ turned-on, _too_ distracted to have a _real relationship_, to deal with the hard stuff without using sex as a crutch? She cleared her throat and looked back into those baby blue eyes, steeling herself to their intoxicating effect on her.

"I was just thinking... I just want you to know one thing. I realized today — or, God, yesterday, I guess — that I don't just want a baby in the abstract. I want to raise a family _with you_, and it wouldn't be remotely the same if I went out and found someone else or even did it by myself. That's not what I want. What I want is _you_, and _our_ kid. Do you ... do you know what I mean?"

Arizona's smile vanished, but she nodded earnestly. "Yes, I do. And I ... I have to apologize for what I said to-... er, yesterday, too. All those things ... they were all about my own insecurities. That's what my therapist finally helped me recognize — that in our community, there's a lot of bi-phobia, you know, irrational fear of bi women who could break our hearts — and I know that's rationally not true, because none of the bi women I've known, including you, have ever really acted like that — but my therapist, who's a lesbian, pointed out that there's this myth, and I just kind of latched on to it when it happened to fit perfectly with my insecurities..."

"Wait a sec!" Callie put a hand against Arizona's bare chest and clapped the other one to her forehead. "Are you telling me that Dr. Wyatt is a lesbian? How did I not know this?"

Arizona raised her eyebrows. "No no no, I haven't seen _her_ since we … well, you know. Anyway, I found another therapist to talk things through, because I figured that you would be seeing Dr. Wyatt, and I needed to get away from the hospital to clear my head, because Dr. Wyatt is so _in_ the hospital, and that place feels so ... _incestuous_ sometimes... Well. You know what I mean."

Callie whistled. "Boy, do I ever."

"Anyway, my _new_ therapist _is_ a lesbian and was able to point this out, which was very helpful to me. Not that it prevented me from opening my big mouth earlier — but I was feeling stressed and sad and mad, y'know, even _before_ there was a gun in the room — and it just kind of popped out. What I'm trying to say is that _you_ are not the problem. Your big heart and previous relationships, regardless of who they were with, are _not_ the problem. _My insecurity_ is the problem." Arizona bit her lip and rolled on her back, thinking for a moment. Then she glanced back at Callie, looking almost chastened. "Remember the day after the Dinner Disaster, when I said that other women were lining up for me if you didn't want me?"

"Oh, God, yeah," Callie recalled. "I hate thinking about that morning — I really did not handle that whole situation well."

"No, you were exhausted and worried and feeling a million other completely understandable and overwhelming things that morning. But I — I was just plain insecure. Because I didn't really _believe_ that there were women lining up for me. I never believed it, and I still don't. I really believed that women would be lined around the block for _you_, though, and some men too, probably, if they had half a chance, and it scared the shit out of me." Arizona rolled back on her side and pierced Callie's heart again with those intense, unblinking blue eyes.

"Wow." Callie reached out to touch Arizona again, not having any idea how to respond to that level of honesty. "I never ... wow. You know, that morning, I thought you were totally serious about the other women lining up for you, because, well, just _look at you_! You're hot! You're hot and smart and kind and dedicated and ... did I mention _HOT_? ...Like smokin', drop-dead gorgeous!"

Arizona laughed out loud for the first time in a very, very long time: it was a light, tinkly, amazing sound, and it made Callie want to curl up in a ball and purr. Then she cupped Callie's face in her hand. "Wanna be my personal anti-insecurity protection? No, but really ... the important thing I realized yesterday is that I don't _want_ women lining up for me. I don't _need_ women to line up for me — as long as I have the one woman I can _trust_. I just need to know that _you_ are there for me. And you are. You showed me that, in that room, with that man in the doorway. I will never, ever forget that."

Suddenly, Callie felt her eyes filling with tears; but these were tears of relief, of joy at having survived, together with the woman she loved. As if in sympathy, Arizona started to well up as well, and the two women just held one another, letting the salty drops stream down onto the pillows for several minutes. Callie's heart felt so full it threatened to engulf both of them, along with the bed, the room, the apartment, the whole mourning city. In those moments, she felt absolutely invincible and at peace with herself, the universe, and most importantly, with Arizona.

But not so peaceful that she didn't eventually notice the signals pulsing up from her clit, which was pressed against Arizona's thigh. She exhaled deeply and made a little movement, and her lover responded by reaching down around her ass to pull her closer. Callie squeezed her back and started to reach around for the box of tissues that usually sat on the bedside table, realizing too late that she had used up all the tissues in her place the previous morning. "Shit," she mumbled, as she started pulling out of Arizona's embrace to head for the bathroom again.

But Arizona tightened her grip and started kissing down Callie's neck. "Where ... d'you ... think ... you're ... going?" she breathed near Callie's ear, making her shiver.

"My face ... I'm all ... wet ..." Callie gasped, as her hands reached back to release Arizona's.

Suddenly, Arizona reached down between their bodies and boldly slid two fingers into Callie. "Really?" she said nonchalantly as Callie arched her back and cursed in Spanish. "That's just what I wanted to hear." And she took Callie's mouth in a deep, very wet kiss, just to drive the point home.

- END -


End file.
